I'm a Black man from Harlem, USA, and I've been in, on, involved with the People of Africa for 30 years. First as a young film distributor trying to fulfill the organizing moto of his ambitious Startup to bring "Three dimensional Images & Stories from the African Diaspora" to the wider diaspora audience, and now as an Angel Investor in the Digital Economy currently burgeoning in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda, South Africa and a few others.
My efforts are focused on Esports. I'm bringing my 30 years of business experience as an Entertainment Attorney, Producer and Film Distributor, and a few dollars to bear on the rapidly developing esports ecosystem that is growing in Accra and other regions of Ghana.
An "Angel Investor" comes right after Friends and Family on the investment totem pole. We bring a lot of expertise that, quite frankly, is as if not more important than money in the beginning life of a good idea. The term "Angel" is used to represent the leap-of-faith that it takes for a third party to invest in an entrepreneur with what sounds to the Angel investor like a good idea. The idea could just be a well thought-out business plan, or it could be the Organizer of a large group of enthusiastic Gamers, who, with the right advice from people with the right expertise, could become CEO of a million dollar Esports company in three years.
Esports is a new industry. It started with Gamers playing on consoles against the computer. Then the Internet allowed players from around the world to play together. The industry has gotten a lot of traction in the United States, Europe and Asia, with multi-million dollar prize pools, major consumer goods companies, big time Venture Capital firms and famous athletes investing millions as Team Owners, Publishers, Game Developers, Stadium and Venue Owners, Marketing and Advertising Agencies, Broadcasters and more.
Esports in Africa is gaining traction. The ecosystem of Players, Publishers, Platforms, Audiences and Sponsors, is beginning to come together, particularly in Ghana where there is already a steady diet of events, tournaments and competitions that are attracting audiences and local business. The opportunity is ripe for Angel Investors that have expertise in law, accounting, logistics, telecommunications, project management, corporate operations, advertising and marketing, sales, talent management, and more.
As an Angel Investor from the United States, the currency differential allows me to invest money that goes a long way in Ghana. For instance, the median (half working people make more, half make less) monthly salary in Ghana is roughly 4500 cedis, which converts to about $800.00 US dollars. In a business that is people driven, you don't have to be a billionaire to have a substantial impact on the efforts of a serious and committed entrepreneur with a plan.
My basic income allows me to contribute substantially to the operations of the ventures with which I am involved. It is almost like getting in on the beginning of famous sports franchises like the NFL or the Premier League. Yes, we own a Team, and a Broadcast Media company that produces programming assets, sells advertising, engages audiences and monetizes the activity of our Players. The value of these assets is going to accrue. It's just a matter of time before the telecommunications infrastructure connecting African countries to each other and the rest of the world is state of the art. It's just a matter of time before we get a universally accepted payment system all over Africa. It's just a matter of time before the on-the-ground business infrastructure of business-to-business and consumer credit advances. It's just a matter of time before governments and teleco providers work together to invigorate the digital economy by reducing the cost of mobile data, thus allowing the large population of cell-phone users to fully participate in the global digital economy.
If you are living in the Diaspora and have been wanting to "be in" Africa, Angel investing in serious entrepreneurs is an effective and efficient way to "Grow in Africa, Grow with Africa" (sorry GIPC). I look forward to arriving in Accra, getting picked up by a company vehicle, feted at company headquarters, meeting and talking with the many professionals and administrators and working men and women employed by a homegrown African company.
